my spine … on tap

Oooo-wee! have I been on a ride this week!

I had my spinal tap on Monday morning.  I won’t bore you with the gory details of the procedure, but two facts I want to share:

  1. I was warned there’s a 10% chance they could hit a nerve ending … and sure enough! they did.  It seriously felt like my bum was hit by lighting.  Fortunately, it only lasted a matter of seconds and was fine after that.
  2. Overall, the spinal tap wasn’t that bad … but seriously … ouch!

After it was over, I needed to stay in the hospital and rest for an hour or so.  And when I went home … as hard as it may be for some to believe … I actually went home and rested for the rest of the day.

So imagine my surprise when I woke up Tuesday in HORRIBLE pain!  Horrible.  Headaches can be a side effect … and I certainly had a bad one, but it was more than that.  I had this horrible neck pain that wouldn’t go away.  The nurse suggested I put frozen corn an ice pack on it, and take some Motrin.  I did both and neither helped.  In fact, the corn ice made it feel worse.

Wednesday I called begging to ask for pain meds … instead they switched me to Aleve and said I could call in two days if it wasn’t any better.  Nice.

CJ and I were scheduled in all day meetings Thursday and today.  I went Thursday morning and snuck out left after an hour.  I. Was. In. Pain!  I went home and immediately called the nurse again.  They had me come in right away.

Apparently, in about 2% of patients, the puncture point doesn’t close and therefore you continue to leak spinal fluid.  This fluid is needed to keep your brain and spine intact, so as I was leaking the fluid, there was extra pressure and therefore excruciating pain in my head {particularly my lower neck}.

To fix this, they needed to do a “blood patch.”  They set up an IV in my arm to extract about 20cc’s of blood that would be reinserted into my spinal area.  It was quite the procedure.  Everything needed to be done in an extremely sterile environment, as they were putting the blood back into my central nervous system.

Ouchie, ouchie, ouchie!  All kinds of crazy, weird pressure in my lower back … but the more pressure, the better the seal.  When they were done, I felt almost immediate relief in my head and neck!  My back?  Can barely walk, move, or turn about.

Again … had to lay around the hospital a bit and came home to lay in bed for the day.  My back is still pretty bad, but MUCH better than the head/neck pain was.  And the back pain is expected and should be better in a couple of days.

Anyway … I’d been tweeting and facebooking about some of this, so thought I’d share the story.  I had some really great people taking care of me … warm blanket, after warm blanket.  :)

One of the nurses even wrote me this prescription:

Oh! with my current history of making all these small percent of “chances” … anyone want me to buy them a lotto ticket?  :)

Happy weekend y’all!!  Until next week …

:: subscribe to {tsj} photography ::

119 Comments

  1. Donna July 30, 2010 at 6:50 am

    Bless your heart…I will be praying for you and quick recovery! Happy Weekend!

    Reply
  2. Cathy July 30, 2010 at 7:54 am

    The nurse who wrote that is awesome! Make sure to keep that in your back pocket and wave around as necessary (especially the b’fast in bed part)!! Hope you are starting to feel more relief today–that’s quite an ordeal! Hugs!

    Reply
  3. heather July 30, 2010 at 8:25 am

    love the prescription, glad you are resting, SO SORRY you are dealing with all of this!!!

    Reply
  4. Lisa Mahnke July 30, 2010 at 8:51 am

    Glad to hear you are doing much better my friend! Sometimes, life just gets the better of us, but we will survive! Love ya.

    Reply
  5. Jackie (heather's friend :) July 30, 2010 at 9:18 am

    Oh Tracie, I feel for you so much! I also had a spinal tap that resulted in a blood patch because of all the head and neck pain! It was a while back now, but I can understand how you felt, it’s not fun at all!! Rest definitely helps!! I love that prescription and hope you are able to take advantage. I hope you are competely recovered very soon!!

    Reply
  6. karen July 30, 2010 at 9:23 am

    that is such crap that they told you to wait to come back! those things HURT…I can personally attest to that, HOWEVER unless you’ve had one, you just cannot possibly imagine the excruciating pain that it causes. I am so sorry that you had to go through that, but I am really happy that the headache went away. Ew. EWEWEWEWEW!!! You’re awesome Tracie & you deserve a day (or 17) all to yourself!

    p.s. you make sure that cute little family of yours follows that prescription TO A T!!

    Reply
  7. Molly July 30, 2010 at 9:41 am

    This happened to a close friend of mine, following her epidural during childbirth. The pain didn’t show up until she was home with her newborn, and she was laid up for two days in excruciating pain, unable to care for her baby before they told her to come back to the hospital. Craziness. Glad you are feeling better!

    Reply
  8. Sarah July 30, 2010 at 10:16 am

    I’m SO sorry you’re in so much pain. Hopefully your sweet family will show you lots of love and care.

    Reply
  9. Abbie July 30, 2010 at 11:26 am

    I think my eyes bugged out of my head at that 2% part. Yikes!! I’m so glad that you’re starting to get relief. I can’t even imagine how painful that must have been. Get better soon!

    Reply
  10. trisha July 30, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    why is it you fall within the “tiny” percentages of {things} that can go array?? a testing of your strength or endurance perhaps. i think you should enlarge and frame that Rx, and place it in your bedroom doorway upon entrance :) i love you.

    Reply
  11. Courtney July 30, 2010 at 2:41 pm

    I know exactly what you are going through. I had a blood patch two days after my spinal tap! Feel Better!!

    Reply
  12. Jessica Lynette July 30, 2010 at 2:52 pm

    (((hugs))) poor lady!! Hope you are getting lots of rest and that your beautiful daughters are following nurses orders :)

    Reply
  13. keely aka LKP July 30, 2010 at 3:16 pm

    i need nurses like that!!!!

    glad to hear you’re feeling better. but man, how scary. didn’t know spinal fluid could LEAK-eek!!!!!

    we’re one of those families too. if there’s even a .5% chance, then it’s us. however, it NEVER works when it comes to winning giveaways, or lotto, or raffles. (not that we gamble, outside of our health apparently, though)

    hopefully your weekend will be less eventful and more peaceful than your week.

    Reply
  14. Cat Moore July 30, 2010 at 5:01 pm

    oh my goodness! I’m so sorry about you having to go through all this! i started thinking….’ya know, i haven’t seen any blog updates from her lately’…then, looked in my blogger dashboard and didn’t see your blog! apparently, I didn’t “subscribe” right! UGH! Now i’ve missed out and gotta get caught up! Saying a prayer NOW for you!!!! XOXO, cat (iblogmoore.blogspot.com)

    Reply
  15. fiona July 30, 2010 at 6:12 pm

    Ooh… so much to say about this one!

    First of all, a big hug to all of the doctors, nurses and techs who respect patients enough to listen to them. And for those that don’t…. let’s just say that I believe karma wears big pointy stiletto heels and they have targets on their butts.

    Until someone goes through it, it’s difficult to understand just how traumatic that type of pain can be. The memory stays in the shadows of your mind, whispering “Boo” to you for years to come.

    When I had Delaney way back in 1998 at Northwestern in Chicago, I was the typical {I think? Or maybe I really was a freak?} first-time mom who researched everything. Every. Possible. Thing. I stocked my condo with everything from an inflatable doughnut for the hemorrhoids that (mercifully) never appeared to a dozen tubs of Desitin (thanks to all the horror stories from people who said I wouldn’t leave my house for months because I would be so tired- I could have set up a Laverne and Shirley like baby butt assembly line at my front door and cured all the diaper rash in the greater Chicagoland area). Birth plan? Oh heck yeah. One that included no pain meds {sidenote: wasn’t trying to be a hero; had a girlfriend who had a C-section and couldn’t go to the bathroom without help for 2 weeks. Studies said pain meds upped your chance for that so I KO’d them off the plan. Only child syndrome. I’ll handle my own bathroom business, thank you very much!).

    So it was to my great surprise that I found nature having some fun with me. Best laid plans… out the window. Of course. 28 hours into labor, I started yelling out for the anesthesiologist like an announcer on an OB/GYN Price is Right special. COME ON DOWN!

    And that’s when it started. Within minutes, I knew something was wrong. The pain in my neck and upper back was like someone was twisting a knife. I couldn’t turn an inch in either direction. I was literally screaming. The pain was so excruciating that I wanted to die. And I’m not exaggerating. I vividly recall the feeling of wanting to be dead in order to escape it. That’s a hard one for me to live with even today- even though it wasn’t my “fault,” I actually stopped caring about my baby, my life- everything. I wanted it to be over.

    My (now) ex-husband wasn’t exactly an advocate for me. He’s a doctor and has a somewhat typical indifferent attitude to such things. He had delivered babies in med school, figured my screaming was just part of the whole experience. The nurse was the only one concerned and went to get the anesthesiologist who proclaimed, “Some women just handle pain better than others” while giving my husband a knowing smile. I felt totally alone. For the next two hours, I was as close to madness as I think is possible to come. I still have nightmares.

    And then my OB arrived. Which is the point of this (way too) long comment. She is one of those doctors who has a true respect for her patients. She trusts them. She fights for them. She defends them. She ripped into the anesthesiologist, paged every specialist in the Northwestern directory who might be able to help me and she provided the only real help I received in one of the worst moments of my life.

    Delaney ended up going into distress and needed to be taken by emergency C-section. I went septic. And a day later, walking up to me with his proverbial tail between his legs, the anesthesiologist who had all but laughed at me informed me that I had, indeed, had a complication so rare that no one had ever experienced it before at Northwestern. I became a case study.

    This whole missive isn’t a ‘poor me’ story, despite how it may sound. I look at it as one of the most important lessons I ever learned in life, one that went on to help me when fighting MS diagnoses, breast lumps, illnesses with friends and family… Find a doctor that you can truly trust. Not just the “best” in their field. One that you can communicate with and who clearly respects what you say. Dr. Virginia Kelly was that person for me. When she went on to move into practice in Downers Grove and I relocated to WI, I changed my insurance to enable me to still see her. I drove down (2 1/2 hours in traffic) for every single prenatal appointment for my next two children. You don’t give up a doctor like that. Her advice went on to save me time and again in all the things I’ve faced since.

    I spent the years from the ages of 21-37 listening to my ex-husband and his physician friends talk about their patients. There is an almost necessary detachment that they take on in order to do what they do daily. But in so doing, a lot of the humanity of the healing process has been lost. When people walk into a hospital, they are scared. We’re almost like little kids. We *need* these people to know what they are doing. We *need* to believe they have the answers. Because if they don’t…. well, there goes our safety net. But the truth is, they are doing the best (usually) they can with the hours they have in the day. Like any to do list, everything doesn’t get done. NO ONE can be up to date on every single bit of new research. NO ONE can know every “what if” scenario. They base most of their decisions on “usually it’s this” scenarios for very practical reasons- to enable them to treat as many people well as they can. But you are an individual. Your family members are individuals. You must assume every time you walk into an office that you are getting their best guess. And that’s ok. But it shouldn’t stop you from taking it farther. Be your own advocate. Get online. Use the wonderful new power of social media to let everyone know what’s going on with you because people really, really do want to help. It doesn’t make you weak. Or a crybaby. In showing others how to share these things you are giving them a huge gift. One day, they will be in a situation where something happens.And your example will show them what to do to help themselves and their loved ones (like your blog does, Tracie). It’s important that people stop being afraid to offend doctors by questioning their opinions. You are the customer. Would you accept anything a mechanic says about fixing your car without questioning it? Probably not. Your body is so much more important. A diploma doesn’t grant an MD infallibility. Fight for yourselves and your families.

    If my fingers could pant, they would be heaving right now, lol. Sorry for such a long post. It’s just a subject quite close to my heart. I’m so glad you question things, Tracie. And that you show other people that it is ok to as well. That’s a big ol’ wrapped up present right there.

    Reply
  16. Jen July 30, 2010 at 8:56 pm

    sorry to hear about all of this. thinking of you!

    hope you have a relaxing weekend :)

    Reply
  17. teri July 31, 2010 at 9:39 am

    oh my goodness, i was feeling some ghost pains allover my spine and head just reading this. I am sooo sorry that you experienced such excruciating pain, tracie. I bet your family is giving you lots of care and lots of love. i hope you are enjoying the extra nurturing from those around you. be well!!! xoxoxoxo

    Reply
  18. Tiffany July 31, 2010 at 9:53 am

    H.O.L.Y. S.M.O.K.E.S.!!!!!! I cannot believe all that you have gone through with this! I hope that you feel better very,very, very, very soon! XOXO

    Reply
  19. katherinemarie July 31, 2010 at 12:39 pm

    I diddo HOLY SMOKES!!!!! (from Tiffany above)! WOW… what a relief that you are on the mend. I LOVE this perscription and hope your breakfast in bed and TLC goes way beyond a few days.

    Reply
  20. Southern Gal August 2, 2010 at 7:54 am

    Wow. You had quite a week, didn’t you? I hope your family filled the prescription exactly as written!

    Reply
  21. Kate August 2, 2010 at 9:34 pm

    Thinking of you!!! Hope you are your back are feeling much better!!!!! Hugs to you!!!

    Reply
  22. Jeannie August 3, 2010 at 12:54 am

    That’s the perfect prescription. But… only 5 refills?? Stay well!

    Reply
  23. Stacey August 4, 2010 at 4:01 pm

    Oh Tracie! I am so sorry! If I lived closer I would bring you my famous soup, bread and a really fattening treat. But….since that is not possible, I will be covering you in prayer! Which, is really better anyway! Hugs!

    Reply
  24. Dawn August 12, 2010 at 4:25 pm

    i LOVE the prescription!
    i’m so sorry you were in such pain… i cannot even imagine, but i am glad you were persistent with claling the dr! wow! wouldn’t it be nice if the bad odds & the good odds worked together? let me know if you win the lotto :)

    Reply
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